Tack button



Aug. 22, 1939. F. HIPETERSON ET AL 2,170,091

TACK BUTTON Filed Jan. 3, 1939 l WW Redman? Jifz'emn( Roll?) R. ClarkePatented Aug. 22,"1939 l UNITED STATES PATENT oFFrcE TACK BUTTON ofConnecticut 'Application January 3, 1939, serial No. 249,135

6 Claims.

Our invention relates to new and useful improvements in tack buttons,and more particularly to a tack button that may be quickly and readilyoriented in a special button-attaching machine, as shown and describedin an application filed by Frederick H. Peterson on the 12th greaterdiameter than the bore of the hub is to be driven into the button headfor the purpose of attaching and to further arrange and so form thebutton that it may be quickly and readily oriented in a button-attachingand orienting machine.

lAnother object of the invention is to provide a button having anintegral hub wi h flats on its opposite sides and a notch or aligningwall formed in its end, so that the'butt when placed in a specialhopper, may pass f om the hopper and down .the raceway to the attachingstation in one and only oney position, which position is in conformitywith the insignia or brand or trademark formed in its top or upper face.

As is well known to those skilled in the art, tack buttons which areused on overalls and work clothes generally" have insignia or atrade-mark or a fanciful design on their top, and the button, whenattached to the bib of the overalls or the work coats, should have theinsignia in a readable position rather than upside down or at an angleto the eye ofthe observer.

A further object of the invention, therefore,- is to provide a solidmetal button having insignia on its face, which bears a certain relationto flats and aligning walls formed on the hub, so that when placed in aspecial buttonattaching machine, the button will be'attached to thegoods in its properly oriented position.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certainnew and novel features and combination of parts, as will be herein--after more vfully explained and pointed out in the claims.

Referring now to the drawing showing a preferred embodiment:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a fastener;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the button' head;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view thereof; f

Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing the button attached;

Fig. 6 is a face View showing the button as attached to the bib of anoverall; and

Fig. 'I is a fragmentary view showing how the buttonis released from the'hopper of a buttonattaching machine to its attaching station, when inits oriented position.

It will be understood at the outset that the hereinafter describedbutton head is similar in its broadest aspects to the button shown anddescribed in the application of. Forrest G. Purinton, William A.Zwiebel, and Harold A. Verzier, for Tack button, led on the 3rd day ofJanuary. 1939, Serial Number 249,138, which, however, was not arrangedfor orienting purpose..

It will also be understood that possibly a button with a different formof attachment or fastener might be used, although we have found the oneillustrated is preferable. Again` die'- cast buttons or solid metalbuttons have a special adaptability to the present invention, becausethe various flats 'and aligning walls may bd formed-in the button at thetime the same is cast, thus doing away with any machine Work, which isprohibitive in cost in buttons of this type.

Referring now to the drawing, and for the `moment to Figs.'3 and 4,there is shown a solid die-cast button, preferably of a zinc' alloy,having vthe head per se l and the integral hub 2. Thev insignia 3 or afanciful design is also preferably cast in the button.

The hub is provided with the straight bore 4, into which the tackfastener is to bedriven, as will be shortly described.

It willfbe noticed, also, that the hun, asshown in Fig. 3, is iiatted onits one side, as at 5, and on its opposite side, as at 6, whileextending parallel with the flat E is the cut-awayportion or notch 1 -toform what I term the aligning wall 8.

From Fig. 6, it will be seen that the insignia 3 bears a definiterelation to the two iiats 5 and 6 andalso to the aligning notch 'l cutin the upper edge of the hub and the wall 8.

Although other forms of fasteners might be used, the oneshown in Figs. 1and 2 is preferable, which consists of the head 9 and the prong Illwith'its flutes Il. Over the head of the tack is placed a small cap l2for neatness of appearance.

The prong of the tack isI also preferably japanned and of slightlygreater diameter thanY the bore 4 of the button, so that when the sameis driven into the bore, it will slightly expand the walls about thebore and then grip the prong with a resistant pressure, which is fargreater than has been found necessary in button attachments.

In Fig. '7, there is fragmentarily shown the manner in which the buttonmay be properly oriented in a button-attaching machine of the type shownin the application of Frederick H. Peterson, for Orientingbutton-attaching machine, filed on the 12th day of December, 1938,Serial Number 245,278.

Briefly, the hopper for orienting the buttons consists of a base plateI3, on which the button rests, while the hub of the button can only passthrough the groove I4 when the one flat 5 is op'- posite the wall l5 andthe other flat 6 is in contact with the wall I6, and the aligning notch1 and the wall 8 register with the corner l1. It will be remembered thatthe button is in an inverted position when in the groove I4 of the hop-Where it is forced down on the tack, which, inY

turn, will have pierced the goods and be driven up into the bore of thehub.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that we-have provided a button,wherein the insignia bears a definite relation to the two ats and thenotch and aligning wall, so that the button may ber readily and quicklyoriented in a button-attaching and orienting machine.

Furthermore, the button is one that is relatively inexpensive tomanufacture and durable and efficient in service.

Having thus described our invention, what We claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

l 1. A button head capable of being oriented having indicia or the likeon its face, an integral hub, flats formed on the hub, and the end ofthe hub having a defining Wall formed therein parallel with the flatsand bearing a denite relation to the indicia.

2. A solid metal button -capable of being oriented having indicia on itsface, a hub adapted to receive a fastener, the opposite sides of the hubbeing fiatted, a, groove formed in the end of the hub and to one lsidethereof and parallel with said flats to form an aligning wall fororienting purposes, and the said wall bearing ay definite relation tothe said indicia.

3. A taclgbutton capable of being oriented having indicia'or the like onits face, an integral circular hubigand a flat portion on the sidethereof, the 1owe`r end of the hub having a notch formed therein toprovide an aligning wall when the button is in the orienting machine,andthe aligning wall and flat bearing a definite positionwith relationto the indicia.

4. A solid metal tack button capable of being oriented including a headwith indicia thereon and an integral circular hub, one side of said hubbeing flattened, the lower-end of the hub having an aligning wallextending below the normal end surface of the hub and bearing a definiterelationship to the flat and to the indicia on the button head.

5. A button head having an integral hub, flats on its opposite sides, anotch formed in the end of the hub parallel to the flats to provide analigning wall, indicia on the face of the button head and extending atright angles to said aligning Wall.

6. A metal tack button capable of being oriented having a hub, said hubprovided with a bore to receive a fastener, a notch in the end of thehub to one side of the bore to form an aligning wall, flats on the sidesof the hub one of which is beneath said aligning wall, and indicia onsaid button head and extending at substantially right angles to saidaligning wall.

FREDERICK H. PETERSON. ROLLIN R. CLARKE.

